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I Don't Want to Spoil the Party
*pop rock }} | Length = 2:33 | Writer = Lennon–McCartney | Label = Parlophone | Producer = George Martin | Tracks = }} "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" is a song by the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released on the album Beatles for Sale in the United Kingdom in 1964. "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" was also released on the Beatles for Sale (No. 2) EP. In the United States, Capitol released the song as the B-side of the single "Eight Days a Week", and later on the Beatles VI album, both in 1965. The single peaked at number 1 in the US (it was not released in the UK); "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" charted as a B-side, reaching number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Lyrics The lyrics anticipate themes that were to become familiar in Lennon's songwriting – alienation and inner pain. In this song, the narrator is at a party, waiting for his girl to show up. When it becomes clear that she has stood him up, he decides to leave, rather than spoil the party for everyone else. Both the lyrics and melody share a melancholy sound and theme with songs that precede it on Beatles for Sale, such as "No Reply" and "I'm a Loser". Author Ian MacDonald views the song as a return to the subject matter introduced by Lennon on "I'll Cry Instead", from the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night album, and a "preview" of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", from Help! Recording The Beatles recorded "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" on 29 September 1964 in 19 takes, the last of which was released. George Harrison's guitar solo, played on his new Gretsch Tennessean in the style of Carl Perkins, was enhanced by midrange resonance boost, giving it an especially bright sound. According to The Encyclopedia of Country Music, the song is an early example of country rock, anticipating the Byrds' work in that style. MacDonald describes it as the "most overt" country track on Beatles for Sale, an album that is "dominated by the idiom". Among the band's biographers, opinions differ on which Beatle sings the low harmony part during the verses, below Lennon's lead vocal. MacDonald lists Harrison as the second vocalist on the track, while John Winn credits McCartney, saying that he sounds "deceptively like a second Lennon". According to musicologist Walter Everett, the harmony part is Lennon "self-duetting". Personnel According to Walter Everett: *John Lennon – lead and harmony vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar *Paul McCartney – bass, harmony vocal *George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocal *Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine Chart positions Rosanne Cash version Rosanne Cash covered the song for her Hits 1979-1989 compilation. Her version went to number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in 1989. It was also Cash's last number one hit to date, and is the only Lennon-McCartney song to top the country chart. Chart positions Year-end charts Notes References * | accessdate=18 November 2009 | ref= }} * * * * * * * * External links * Category:The Beatles songs Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin Category:Rosanne Cash songs Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles Category:RPM Country Tracks number-one singles Category:Songs written by Lennon–McCartney Category:Capitol Records singles Category:1964 songs Category:1965 singles Category:1989 singles Category:Songs published by Northern Songs Category:Columbia Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by Rodney Crowell